Casper (film)
Casper is a 1995 American live-action/computer-animated fantasy comedy film directed by Brad Silberling loosely based on the Harvey Comics cartoon character Casper the Friendly Ghost created by Seymour Reit and Joe Oriolo. The film stars Christina Ricci, Bill Pullman, Cathy Moriarty, Eric Idle, and Amy Brenneman, and also features the voices of Malachi Pearson as the title character as well as Joe Nipote, Joe Alaskey, and Brad Garrett. The film makes extensive use of computer-generated imagery to create the ghosts, and it is the first feature film to have a fully CGI character in a leading role. It tells Casper's story in a darker interpretation in comparison to the comics, cartoons and films of the previous years, especially with its theme of death, most notably the tragic backstory of how he died. Casper was released in cinemas on May 26, 1995 by Universal Pictures. It received mixed reviews from critics and earned $287.9 million on a $55 million budget. It went on to spawn direct-to-video follow-up films and an animated television spin-off, The Spooktacular New Adventures of Casper. Plot In the town of Friendship, Maine, two young boys: Nicky and Andreas enter a creepy, old mansion called Whipstaff Manor, apparently on a dare, but they are scared away by a ghost named Casper. Later, after the death of her father, neurotic and spoiled heiress Carrigan Crittenden discovers he has only left her in his will Whipstaff Manor in Friendship, Maine. Carrigan and her attorney, Dibs, learn of a treasure allegedly hidden somewhere within the manor, but upon investigation they find the manor haunted by Casper and his obnoxious prankster uncles, the Ghostly Trio, who scare the two off the property. A lonely Casper watches a news report of paranormal therapist James Harvey, and is instantly smitten with his teenage daughter, Kat. This leads Casper to inspire Carrigan to summon Dr. Harvey to Whipstaff. Harvey and Kat have an estranged relationship due to the former’s reputation and obsession with contacting the ghost of his late wife, Amelia. Moving into Whipstaff, Kat and her father quickly encounter Casper, who tries to befriend them, while his uncles try to scare them out of the house. After befriending Casper during breakfast, Kat goes to school with Casper following her. She becomes popular when her class, upon learning that she is living in Whipstaff, agree to host their Halloween party there. However, Amber, Kat’s classmate who immediately dislikes her, becomes envious of Kat stealing her spotlight, since the party was originally going to be held at her place. Amber plots with her boyfriend, Vic, to humiliate Kat during the party. Harvey meanwhile attempts to have therapy sessions with the Ghostly Trio, who reveal that they know Amelia; in exchange for getting Carrigan to leave them alone, they promise to go through the "red tape" involved to get Harvey a meeting with his wife. Meanwhile, Kat learns Casper has no memory of his life and unlocks his old bedroom to remind him. Casper comes across an old wooden sled, recalling that when he was a young boy, his father bought it for him. Casper was so happy that he played outside on a very cold day until he caught a severe cold and died of pneumonia. After his death, he became a ghost to keep his father company. A newspaper article reveals that Casper’s father was declared legally insane after he built a machine named the Lazarus, which he claimed could bring the dead back to life. Casper and Kat venture down into the manor’s basement, where they discover the Lazarus. Carrigan and Dibs sneak in, steal the formula that powers the Lazarus, and plot to use the machine to their advantage, believing it could grant them immortality. However, the two attempt to kill each other in order to test the theory; as a result, Carrigan falls off a cliff to her death, and rises as a ghost. Meanwhile, Dr. Harvey becomes dispassionate, prompting the trio to take him out for a night on the town. Unknown to Harvey, they plan on killing him to make themselves a quartet, but end up having a change of heart after a drunken Harvey states that he is going to tell Carrigan off so they can stay in their home. However, Harvey accidentally falls to his death down a manhole. Back in the secret laboratory, Carrigan confronts Casper and Kat and launches Dibs out of a window when he tries to double-cross her. Casper and Kat trick her into stating that she has no unfinished business on Earth, causing Carrigan to be involuntarily ejected into the afterlife. The alleged treasure is revealed to be Casper’s prized baseball, signed by Duke Snider. When Dr. Harvey returns with Casper's uncles, now as a ghost, Kat is obviously distraught. Her despair prompts Casper into sacrificing his one chance to return to life once more, restoring her father instead. The Halloween party kicks off upstairs. As Amber and Vic prepare their prank, they are thwarted by the Ghostly Trio, who have kept their word. A dejected Casper is visited by the spirit of Amelia, who has become an angel in heaven instead of a ghost. As a reward for his selfless sacrifice, she temporarily transforms him into a human boy, until ten o’clock. The now flesh-and-blood Casper dances with Kat, while Amelia speaks with Harvey, revealing that she was so content with her husband and daughter while alive, that she has no unfinished business, encouraging him to move on. Amelia departs as the clock chimes ten and, after kissing Kat, Casper transforms back into a ghost, which scares off the party guests, leaving him and the Harveys to dance to the Ghostly Trio's music. Cast Live-action actors *Christina Ricci as Kathleen "Kat" Harvey, Dr. James Harvey's 13-year-old daughter and Casper's love interest, who has lost her mother and wants to make a friend. *Bill Pullman as Dr. James Harvey, Kat Harvey's father who is a ghost therapist interacting with the 'living impaired,' helping them to cross into the next dimension while hoping to find his deceased wife. *Cathy Moriarty as Carrigan Crittenden, a glamorous, spoiled, treacherous, greedy woman who was angry about her late father's will to Whipstaff, until she discovers that the house contains treasure, and hires Dr. Harvey to get the ghosts out of the house in order to get it. *Eric Idle as Paul "Dibs" Plutzker, Carrigan's assistant. *Ben Stein as Rugg, Carrigan's lawyer. *Spencer Vrooman as Andreas *Chauncey Leopardi as Nicky *Wesley Thompson as Mr. Curtis, Kat's school teacher *Amy Brenneman as Amelia Harvey, James' deceased wife, as well as Kat's deceased mother whom appears as an angel and came before Casper and gave him his dream of coming back to life only for one night after he saved James' life. *Devon Sawa as Casper McFadden (human form) *Garette Ratliff Henson as Vic DePhillippi, Kat's crush whom he along with his girlfriend Amber plans to sabotage Kat's party until they were scared off by the Ghostly Trio. *Jessica Wesson as Amber Whitmire, Kat's rival and Vic's girlfriend whom she along with Vic plans to sabotage Kat's party until the Ghostly Trio scare them away. Voice actors *Malachi Pearson as Casper McFadden, a lonely ghost who was originally a 12-year-old boy who died from a pneumonia attack. He spends most of his afterlife in Whipstaff dealing with his ghouling uncles' antics while hoping to find a friend. He finds one in Kathleen "Kat" Harvey, while also falling in love with her. *Joe Nipote as Stretch, the leading member of the Ghostly Trio and one of Casper's uncles who bonds with Dr. Harvey. *Joe Alaskey as Stinkie, the second member of the Ghostly Trio as well as one of Casper's uncles who also bonds with Dr. Harvey. *Brad Garrett as Fatso, the third member of the Ghostly Trio and one of Casper's uncles who bonds with Dr. Harvey. *John Kassir as the Crypt Keeper **Brock Winkless performed the puppetry for the Crypt Keeper in the film Cameos *Don Novello as Father Guido Sarducci *Dan Aykroyd as Ray Stantz *Clint Eastwood *Rodney Dangerfield *Mel Gibson *Steven Spielberg (cameo cut) Category:Films Category:Casper films Category:Theatrical films